Spring-latch.



No. 667,796. Patented Feb.v l2, |901.

L. scorlELn.

SPRING' LATCH.

(Application med Nv.'9, 1900.)

(No Model.)

Ama,

LEVI SCOFIELD, OF JONESBOROUGH, ARKANSAS.

SPRING-LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming` part of Letters Patent No. 667,796, dated February 12, 1901.

Application iled November 9, 1900. Serial No. 35,937. (No model.)

xspring-latches, the improvements being particularly, though not exclusively, designed for use in connection with gates and other outside structures, and especially such as areV liable to settle or sag in use, one of the objects of the invention being to provide a latch which will remain operative and in perfect Working order under the conditions just mentioned.

The invention further consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be now described, and pointed out particularly in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a top plan view of a latch and striker-plate embodying my present improvements, the bolt of the latch being shown withdrawn or retracted in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a perspective View showing the application of the latch to a picket-fence gate. Fig. 3 is a perspective view with the parts separated, and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional View taken in a vertical plane.

Like letters of reference in the several iigures indicate the same parts.

The housing of the latch is preferably in the form of a rectangle A, with suitable projecting ears B, through which the attachingscrews may be passed, and the bottom of this housing is closed by a bottom plate C, preferably held in place by a single screw c, engaging the housing and bottom plate and passing through a slot C in the longitudinally-movable bolt D. This bolt D is preferably formed with a heavy nose portion at the front end and a cylindrical rear end d, around which a suitable spring E may be placed for advancing the bolt and holding it advanced by spring-pressure. On the bolt D, immediately forward of the spring E, is a cross-head D2, which cross-bead is adapted for cooperation with a retracting-handle G, and the latter projects through a transverse opening H in the side walls of the housing, being held in place by a projection h on one side entering a slot or recess H in the bottom plate C. The bolt D is recessed or cut away for the passage of the handle G immediately in front of the cross-head D2, and the handle projects, preferably, on both sides of the housing and in such position as to bereadily accessible on either side of the gate or door to which the latch is applied.

The handle G operates as a lever, its rear surface working against the cross-head and its forward surface against the forward edges of the slot in the housing in which the handle is mounted. It will be observed that inasmuch as the cross-head projects equally on opposite sides of the bolt the bolt will be retracted when the handle is moved in either direction, and thus on approaching the gate to open the same the bolt may be Withdrawn more conveniently than if the handle worked in one direction only, inasmuch as under the latter conditions a knowledge of the particular latch must be had or a trial as to which way the handle will move must be made by the person who desires to open the gates.

The construction of the latch is such that all the parts may be simple castings, and the housing forms an efcient protection against the weather. Thus the life of the spring and vother parts is materially prolonged, and there is little or no liability of ice or snow working into the parts so as to prevent their successful operation.

The striker-plate or guard with which the bolt of the latch cooperates is preferably formed, as illustrated, with a vertical groove or recess h, extending way through the same from top to bottom, and two inclined wings or faces H, with which the bolt may cooperate when moving in either direction. The holes for the attaching-screws may be formed in the faces of these wings, and also, if desired, in the bottom of the vertical channel, as illustrated. This guard or striker-plate is also a simple casting and may be recessed at the back at h' in order to save metal; but in the preferred construction the edges of the wings and back of the central portion in rear of the IOO bottom of the channel are preferably in line, adapting the device for attachment to a plane surface, such as the face of a gate-post or jatnb of a door, without the necessity of recessing or cutting the post or jamb for the application of the guard or striker-plate.

In applying the device to a gatefor instance, as illustrated in Fig. 2-the latch portion is preferably applied to the top rail or runner I of the gate, so that the handle will project on both sides,- as illustrated, and the guard is attached to the end of the runner of the fence or fence-post, as the case may be. Its upper end may project above the surfa'ce of thc same, so as to coperate with the bolt when the latter is located above the plane of the runner of the gate, although it will be understood that the latch may be applied in any other convenient situation Without departing from the invention, which resides in the particular construction of the latch and its guard or striker-plate, irrespective of the particular manner of attaching the same to the structure which it is to hold or lock.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a gate-latch such as described, the combination with the housing having the ears for the attaching-screws and the bottom plate for closing the housing, of a longitudinallymovable bolt, mounted in said housing and having a cross-head projecting through the side walls of the housing, a spring for advancing the bolt, and a handle pivotally mounted in the housing in front of the crosshead and projecting on both sides of the housing whereby when said handle is moved in either direction the cross-head and bolt will be retracted; substantially as described.

2. In a latch such as described, the combination with a housing the bottom plate for closing the housing having an opening therein, and a transverse handle extending out on both sides of the housing and having a projection working in said opening, of a longitudinally-movable bolt mounted in said hous# ing and having a recess for the handle with a cross-head in rear of said recess adapted to cooperate with said handle to retract the bolt when the handle is moved in either direction and a spring surrounding the rear end of the bolt for advancing the bolt; substantially as described.

3. In a latch such as described, the combination with the housing having the slots in its side walls, and the longitudinally-movable bolt having a cross-head projecting through said slots, of a handle projecting out through said slots on each side of the housing forward of the cross-head, a projection on the handle for retaining it in place and a spring for advancing the bolt; substantially as described.

LEVI SCOFIELD.

Witnesses:

MINOR M. MARKLE, FRED L. PURCELL. 

